Bobo-verkill, or, living the lard way

Posted Thursday, September 11, 2008, at 11:55 AM

A couple of years ago, we planned a newsroom outing to Miss Mary Bobo's in Lynchburg. No sooner had we made our reservations than the restaurant announced a big grand opening event to celebrate its re-opening and expansion. So even though eating at Miss Mary Bobo's is a rare treat for me, on that occasion I ate there twice in the span of a week.

Well, we decided this year to plan another such newsroom outing, which will take place in the next few days, to celebrate the completion of several big projects. We also have several relative newcomers to the staff who've never been to the restaurant before.

Wouldn't you know it? I got an e-mail yesterday inviting me to a special event next week as the restaurant celebrates the 100th anniversary of Miss Mary Bobo opening her boarding house. So, once again, I'll be eating there twice in the span of a week.

Yeah, eating great food more than one time in a week is NEVER a bad thing. :-)

-- Posted by jaxspike on Fri, Sep 12, 2008, at 7:07 AM

Never have eaten there before...what kind of foods do they serve? Do you have to have a reservation? What is the proper dress attire?

-- Posted by time2relax on Fri, Sep 12, 2008, at 1:05 PM

time2relax, the restaurant is owned by the Jack Daniel Distillery. They serve country cooking, family style. You're seated at a large table, with other guests whom you may not know, and a hostess. They bring the platters of food to the table like you would at Thanksgiving dinner, and you either pass them or use a lazy susan in the middle of the table (if you're in one of the rooms that has a lazy susan).

Today's menu, which was pretty typical:

Fried chicken

Country ham

Macaroni and cheese

Mini corn muffins

Coleslaw

Red potatoes

Fried okra

Cooked apples, laced with whiskey

Chess pie, with whiskey-spiked whipped cream

I believe the fried okra and the cooked apples are always on the menu. The main dishes may vary, but you get the general idea.

All of it was wonderful. (I didn't try the coleslaw, because I don't like coleslaw.) They bring more to the table if needed, so you can get as much as you want to eat. You'll be full the rest of the day.

They have two serving times, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. (During peak tourist seasons, they occasionally have a 3 p.m. serving as well.) Reservations are strongly recommended, although they do have more room since expanding two years ago. You should at least call first. If you're making reservations for 8 or more people, you have to send them a check for half of the bill up front.

Because so many tourists patronize the restaurant, you get a mix of clothing -- tourists in T-shirts and shorts, and locals or business travelers in business attire.

-- Posted by Jicarney on Fri, Sep 12, 2008, at 9:01 PM

Oh, and green beans.

-- Posted by Jicarney on Fri, Sep 12, 2008, at 9:04 PM

When they reopened last year following renovations, they were offering dinner on Saturday nights. Are they still serving dinner?